Updated October 2026
Short answer: in Vancouver you can only remove a private tree with a trunk of 20 cm or more if it meets one of the reasons in the City’s Protection of Trees By-law, and for a new house or addition the usual reason is that the tree sits inside the building envelope of an issued development or building permit. Vancouver Premium Home Design plans new homes, additions and laneway houses in Vancouver around this rule from the first site visit, so a tree never becomes a surprise at permit stage.
| Topic | Protected trees, tree removal and building a new home, addition or laneway house in Vancouver |
| Who it applies to | Owners of private residential lots in the City of Vancouver |
| Protected size | Trees 20 cm or more in diameter, measured 1.4 m above the ground (City of Vancouver) |
| What we do | Site review, coordination with your arborist, a design that keeps or works around trees, and permit drawings that show tree protection |
| How to start | Call 604-929-6696 or request a free design quote |
Which trees are protected on a Vancouver lot?
Any tree on private property with a trunk diameter of 20 cm or more, measured 1.4 metres above the ground, needs a permit before it comes down. The City’s Protection of Trees By-law page also notes that smaller trees can still be protected when they are replacement trees or part of an approved landscape plan.
Twenty centimetres is not a big tree, so for a typical rebuild, addition or laneway house, the realistic starting assumption is that at least one tree on or near your lot is protected.
Your neighbour’s trees count too. Roots and branches don’t stop at the property line, and the City expects trees on neighbouring lots and on the boulevard to be protected if your construction could damage them. A big street tree in front of a narrow lot can decide where your driveway or front steps go.
Can I take a tree down because I’m building a new house?
Sometimes, but not just because you want the space. According to the City’s tree removal permit page, the by-law allows removal in specific cases, including a tree that is dead, dying, diseased or hazardous, one causing serious damage to your property, or one located within the building envelope defined in an issued development or building permit.
That last condition is the one that matters for most projects, and the wording is important. The tree has to be inside the envelope of a permit that has been issued. You cannot clear the yard first and design afterwards. The order is: survey and arborist, design, permit, then removal if the approved envelope requires it.
If you are building new around existing trees, it is also the right time to think about energy performance. This short video explains what a passive house is and why it can be worth building one.
When do I need an arborist report?
If there are trees of 20 cm or more that could be affected, the City requires an arborist’s report to make a development permit application. In practice we ask for it before the concept stage, because the report is what tells us where we can and cannot build.
A useful report identifies each tree, its size, species and health, and recommends a protection zone and barrier location for the trees that stay. Those protection zones go straight onto our site plan, and they often shape the footprint more than the setbacks do. If you haven’t ordered a survey yet, ask the surveyor to locate trees and trunk diameters; our guide to understanding your property survey explains what else to ask for.
How do protected trees change the design of a house or laneway home?
They move things: the footprint, the foundation, the driveway, the services and sometimes the whole layout. Here are the patterns we see most on Vancouver lots.
- A tree near the rear of the lot. This is the classic laneway house problem. A protected tree between the main house and the lane can shrink the area left for a laneway home, push it to one side, or call for a narrower, longer plan.
- A neighbour’s tree on the property line. Its protection zone can reach several metres into your lot. We may step the house back, use a shallower foundation detail in that corner, or move the basement so excavation stays out of the root zone, all with the arborist’s input.
- A boulevard tree out front. It can decide where a new driveway crossing or front walk goes, and where the water and sewer connections run.
Picture a typical case: a 33-foot lot in Hastings-Sunrise with a large cedar near the rear corner, where the owner wants a full-width laneway home. Once the arborist sets the protection zone, the better plan is often a slightly narrower laneway house shifted to the opposite side, with the cedar kept as the private outdoor space between the two homes. The tree goes from obstacle to selling point.
Got a big tree on or next to your lot? Call 604-929-6696 and we’ll talk through what it means for your plans.
What is the right order of steps when trees are involved?
Get the tree information first and the permit last. This sequence keeps you from paying for a design you have to redraw.
- Order a survey that shows trees, trunk diameters and grades on your lot, and any trees close to the property lines.
- Hire a certified arborist to assess the trees and recommend protection zones, including neighbouring and boulevard trees.
- Check zoning so you know the envelope you have to work within. Our article on zoning setbacks and building envelopes covers the basics.
- Design with the tree information on the site plan, comparing options that keep the trees with options that would need removal.
- Apply for the development or building permit with the arborist report and tree protection shown on the drawings.
- Install protection barriers before work starts, and only remove a tree once the permit allows it.
What mistakes cost Vancouver homeowners the most?
Almost all of them come from treating the tree as a construction detail rather than a design input.
- Cutting first. Removing a protected tree without a permit can create a problem with the City that follows you into the permit process.
- Designing before the arborist visits. A finished floor plan that ignores a protection zone usually has to be redrawn.
- Forgetting the neighbours. Their trees can limit your excavation as much as your own.
- Not budgeting for replacement trees and barriers. Either can be a condition on a project with trees, so ask your arborist and the City what applies to yours.
Who is this guide for?
It’s for Vancouver owners planning a new house, a duplex or multiplex, an addition or a laneway home on a lot with mature trees, and for buyers looking at a treed lot who want to know what it will allow. If you are ready for drawings, see our permit drawings in Vancouver service or our custom home design in Vancouver page. For a small multiplex on a treed lot, our sister studio’s page on duplex and triplex design in Vancouver covers how lot depth, lane access and trees shape the layout.
Frequently asked questions
A tree on private property with a trunk diameter of 20 cm or more, measured 1.4 metres above the ground. Smaller trees can also be protected if they are replacement trees or part of an approved landscape plan.
Generally no, unless it is dead, dying, diseased, hazardous or causing serious damage. For a building project, removal is tied to the tree being inside the building envelope of an issued development or building permit, so the permit comes first.
If trees of 20 cm or more on your lot, a neighbouring lot or the boulevard could be affected, expect to need one. We recommend getting it before design starts, because it sets the protection zones the laneway house has to avoid.
It can. The City expects neighbouring trees at risk from your construction to be protected, so its root zone may limit excavation, foundations or a driveway on your side. An arborist can tell you how far the protection zone reaches.
Possibly. A removal permit may include a requirement to plant a replacement tree, and the number and type depend on the by-law schedules and your site. We show replacement trees on the landscape or site plan.
Want a design that works with your trees?
Send us your address and a photo of the trees, or call to talk it through.
We reply within one business day.
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